I get where your coming from . . .
I was brought up in a strict and passionate Catholic family and for the majority of Catholics, Good Friday is an extremely holy/sacred day.
Which usually consist of fasting and praying and minimal to no entertainment what so ever, however it is also a public holiday and the start of the long weekend so a lotta people usually head out and chill.
I feel like what @Aaron said is true and that those who want to watch the footy should be able to and enjoy their public holiday, and those who want to pray/fast and attend church should carry on with their schedule and ignore any distraction such as footy and other things for the day.
I personally watch the footy (after church) just cause I wanna balance out my day with religion and a bit of life/reality